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My bub is 6 months old and we are starting solids. Should I be following a routine or should he be giving me the cues?


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  • Just start introducing pureed foods slowly and see how you go. One step at a time.


  • A baby’s digestive system is much better equipped to handle fats and proteins than carbohydrates. For this reason I think a wonderful first food for babies is a soft boiled egg yolk from a pastured hen. Take care to only use the yolk and not the egg white which contains difficult to digest proteins. For my own children, I started giving a taste of a soft boiled egg yolk from my own plate starting at about 4-6 months old. Just a taste! If the child is completely uninterested, then try again in a week or two. If the child likes the little taste that you put on her tongue or lip, then give her two tastes the next day and three tastes the next day, gradually building up to the entire egg yolk. Never force the child to eat. Remember that egg yolk is an extremely rich food and force feeding any rich food can cause the child to vomit. At about 6 months of age, a bit of grassfed beef can be grated into the warm egg yolk for baby to eat. Mashed banana is also a wonderful carbohydrate to add around this time as banana digests very easily due to the copious amounts of amylase present – no need for baby’s small intestine to produce it herself.
    At the age of 10 months or so, pureed meats, fruits and vegetables can be added. These foods should be introduced one at a time to reduce any chance of a reaction. Best also to avoid high starch veggies like potatoes and sweet potato, which contain very complex starch molecules which are much more difficult to digest for baby than non starchy vegetables. Take the time to make your babyfood at home with organic ingredients and mash the veggies with some deep yellow, grassfed butter. Consumption of veggies with a bit of healthy fat like butter increases mineral absorption tremendously! Success, it can be such exciting times :)


  • My bubs sort of let me know when they wanted to try solids – rusks instead of teething rings was one way of introducing something solid and because my children were lactose intolerant, it meant I did have to either use the Bamix or a Mouli to mush up their food. Most of the bought preparations have milk solids in them. Good luck. Take it slowly and enjoy your baby time – they grow up so fast.


  • no, my son was really late by modern standards – 7 months before he would nibble, and then he had that many flopping allergies LOL. I started with mashed bananas, mashed veg, and custard, really soft foods. I also think the Heinz canned stuff is ok too, for a change.


  • We allowed both of our children to direct us when it came to feeding solids. We often gave them bits of vegie or meats off our plates for them to suck on and practise chewing. We started with weetbix and formula for breakfast as well as pieces of toast, lunch was usually vegie or fruit puree/mash and then dinner was usually what ever we were having. some children take to solids really easily but others take time. Follow your gut and your childs ques. Goodluck


  • Good luck. There is some excellent advice here already. Remember to steer clear of products that have way too much sugar and salt (for adults… let alone children).. and from here on you become the role model for healthy food choices! Think fruit and vegetables from really early on and avoid later trouble, but avoid nuts and things that need more care introducing.


  • This is what I did when my children were starting solids. I took them to the childhood community nurse first to make sure all is ok ( general check anyway ) . Then she advised to feed a bit of food ( eg small bowl of puree ) then finish it with milk ( bottle or breast ) . The idea is to start slowly introducing food and then later they will have more solids than milk , as milk is not enough for older babies to gain nutrients in diet. Have fun as it can get a bit messy .


  • Things change over the years but back when my kids were little they all started off with Rice cereal and after a week I would add various thing such as pureed apple to the cereal and then the next week pears, peaches, veggies, etc. Trying each thing for a week before adding new things just incase they had a reaction. None of my kids had reactions or allergies.


  • It’s best to start with rice cereal as babies are less likely to have an allergy to it. Only introduce one new food at a time and give that food for 3 – 4 days to ensure they don’t develop an alley. When I’ve introduced a new food I’ve tended to give it to my children early in the day so if they have a reaction it has time to develop.


  • We didn’t have a routine, just went with what the baby wanted, started with very soft carrot, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, etc. you know things that are naturally tasty for the little ones to take on without problem.


  • No routine for us. With Bub number one I was very concerned about the ‘right’ time to introduce solids and the ‘right’ way to do it. I was more relaxed with 2&3. I’d take cues from your Bub. If they are interested in food, can hold head up and have good control and take things slowly and experiment. Just about all of their nutritional needs will be met through milk so take cues from your Bub. I’ve done both rice cereal, liquids, mush and so on and with 2&3 we went right to soft finger foods and eating or munching on whatever I or my eldest was eating. They don’t eat much when first introducing solids. Just check food is ok for swallowing/chocking hazards and never take your eyes off them when trying solids. Otherwise try to relax and not get too caught up in routines or what others say is the ‘right’ way to do it. There are many ways to introduce solids.


  • “food before one is just for fun” this is the motto we use, this time is used for trying out bub’s mouth and seeing how they go, new tastes and textures. Their milk is the the most important meal for them so always feed them after their milk feed, (i usually try of an hour or so after a milk drink). We make our own baby food just because we already have all the veges here, we add different rice cereals etc to thicken our foods and give different textures, we are just starting to introduce meat flavours and textures right now


  • With my Son i skipped rice cereal and made homemade oats. I use to barmix pumpkin, potatoes and apples as the intro veges and fruit.


  • I think it all depends on your childs sleeping routine. I was lucky my little girl was like clock work with her naps. First wake up was bottle and back to bed. But them 10am wake up and food, play, bottle and bed. Wake at 2pm food, play, bottle and bed. 6pm wake, food, play, bath, bottle, bed. Started with small amounts and have just increased the food amount as she has gotten older. I always wanted that cue for her for bedtime, so always kept the bottle for just before sleep. Still working for us at 8 1/2 months. Obviously what works for us might not for others, but if its not good for us to lay down with a belly of food, I didnt want bubba doing it.


  • Start with something bland such as rice cereal/farex. Just once a day in the morning(to check for reactions) then start introducing new foods, all purée such as apples/pears/banana & avacardo etc. bubs will give you cues as to how much they want/when they are full! Then pick up meals along the way… Breakfast/lunch/dinner then onto the mid morning/afternoon snacks. Child health nurses say that From 8months onwards food becomes the primary source of intake and milk(formula or breast) is secondary. Goodluck it’s fun/exciting and very messy! My bub started today and actually ingested about 1tsp of rice cereal!


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